Proverbs 2
Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel
Proverbs chapter 2 is given here in full, verse by verse, in Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), with the Greek text of the Septuagint set beneath each verse. The text follows the Septuagint tradition received throughout the Orthodox Church.
Patristic commentary for this chapter has not yet been attached. The translator's notes for this chapter (5) follow the text. Related material may be found among the Church Fathers and the theology tables.
Proverbs 2
1My son, if you will receive the utterance of my commandment, and hide it with you;Υἱὲ, ἐὰν δεξάμενος ῥῆσιν ἐμῆς ἐντολῆς κρύψῃς παρὰ σεαυτῷ,
2your ear shall listen to wisdom; you shall also apply your heart to understanding, and shall apply it to the instruction of your son.ὑπακούσεται σοφίας τὸ οὖς σου, καὶ παραβαλεῖς καρδίαν σου εἰς σύνεσιν, παραβαλεῖς δὲ αὐτὴν ἐπὶ νουθέτησιν τῷ υἱῷ σου·
3For if you shall call to wisdom, and utter your voice for understanding;Ἐὰν γὰρ τὴν σοφίαν ἐπικαλέσῃ, καὶ τῇ συνέσει δῷς φωνήν σου,
4and if you shall seek it as silver, and search diligently for it as for treasures;καὶ ἐὰν ζητήσῃς αὐτὴν ὡς ἀργύριον, καὶ ὡς θησευροὺς ἐξεραυνήσῃς αὐτήν·
5then shall you understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.Τότε συνήσεις φόβον Κυρίου, καὶ ἐπίγνωσιν Θεοῦ εὑρήσεις.
6For the Lord gives wisdom; and from his presence come knowledge and understanding,Ὅτι Κύριος δίδωσι σοφίαν, καὶ ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ γνῶσις καὶ σύνεσις.
7and he treasures up salvation for them that walk uprightly: he will protect their way;Καὶ θησαυρίζει τοῖς κατορθοῦσι σωτηρίαν, ὑπερασπιεῖ τὴν πορείαν αὐτῶν,
8that he may guard the righteous ways: and he will preserve the way of them that fear him.τοῦ φυλάξαι ὁδοὺς δικαιωμάτων, καὶ ὁδὸν εὐλαβουμένων αὐτὸν διαφυλάξει.
9Then shall you understand righteousness, and judgment; and shall direct * all your course aright.Τότε συνήσεις δικαιοσύνην καὶ κρίμα, καὶ κατορθώσεις πάντας ἄξονας ἀγαθούς.
10For if wisdom shall come into your understanding, and discernment shall seem pleasing to your soul,Ἐὰν γὰρ ἔλθῃ ἡ σοφία εἰς σὴν διάνοιαν, ἡ δὲ αἴσθησις τῇ σῇ ψυχῇ καλὴ εἶναι δόξῃ,
11good counsel shall guard you, and holy understanding shall keep you;βουλὴ καλὴ φυλάξει σε, ἔννοια δὲ ὁσία τηρήσει σε·
12to deliver you from the evil way, and from the man that speaks nothing faithfully.Ἵνα ῥύσηταί σε ἀπὸ ὁδοῦ κακῆς, καὶ ἀπὸ ἀνδρὸς λαλοῦντος μηδὲν πιστόν.
13Alas for those who forsake right paths, to walk in ways of darkness;Ὦ οἱ ἐγκαταλείποντες ὁδοὺς εὐθείας τοῦ πορεύεσθαι ἐν ὁδοῖς σκότους·
14who rejoice in evils, and delight in wicked perverseness;Οἱ εὐφραινόμενοι ἐπὶ κακοῖς καὶ χαίροντες ἐπὶ διαστροφῇ κακῇ·
15whose paths are crooked, and their † courses winding;Ὧν αἱ τρίβοι σκολιαὶ, καὶ καμπύλαι αἱ τροχιαὶ αὐτῶν,
16to remove you far from the straight way, and to estrange you from a righteous purpose. My son, let not evil counsel overtake you,τοῦ μακράν σε ποιῆσαι ἀπὸ ὁδοῦ εὐθείας, καὶ ἀλλότριον τῆς δικαίας γνώμης· υἱὲ, μή σε καταλάβῃ κακὴ βουλή·
17of her who has forsaken the instruction of her youth, and forgotten the covenant of God.Ἡ ἀπολιποῦσα διδασκαλίαν νεότητος, καὶ διαθήκην θείαν ἐπιλελησμένη.
18For she has fixed her house near death, and guided her wheels near Hades with the ‡ giants.Ἔθετο γὰρ παρὰ τῷ θανάτῳ τὸν οἶκον αὐτῆς, καὶ παρὰ τῷ ᾅδῃ μετὰ τῶν γηγενῶν τοὺς ἄξονας αὐτῆς.
19None that go by her shall return, neither shall they take hold of right paths, for they are not apprehended of the § years of life.Πάντες οἱ πορευόμενοι ἐν αὐτῇ οὐκ ἀναστρέψουσιν, οὐδὲ μὴ καταλάβωσι τρίβους εὐθείας· οὐ γὰρ καταλαμβάνονται ὑπὸ ἐνιαυτῶν ζωῆς.
20For had they gone in good paths, they would have found the paths of righteousness ** easy.Εἰ γὰρ ἐπορεύοντο τρίβους ἀγαθὰς, εὕροσαν ἂν τρίβους δικαιοσύνης λείας.
21For the upright shall dwell in the earth, and the holy shall be left behind in it.Ὅτι εὐθεῖς κατασκηνώσουσι γῆν, καὶ ὅσιοι ὑπολειφθήσονται ἐν αὐτῇ.
22The paths of the ungodly shall perish out of the earth, and transgressors shall be driven away from it.Ὁδοὶ ἀσεβῶν ἐκ γῆς ὀλοῦνται, οἱ δὲ παράνομοι ἐξωσθήσονται ἀπʼ αὐτῆς.
Translator's Notes
These notes come from the printed edition of Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), and record where the Greek differs from the English rendering or admits more than one reading.
- v. 9*Lit. all good a les.
- v. 15†Lit. wheel tracks. Compare Heb 12:13.
- v. 18‡See Heb.
- v. 19§Singular variation from Heb.
- v. 20**Gr. smooth.